Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I couldn’t finish this one. I wanted to like it, but it was soooo boring! Too many characters right off the bat to keep up with, and I didn’t care about a single one. They were supposed to be villains, but they seemed more like children playing pretend. Baby villains? I don’t know. The story was boring as well and moved at a glacial pace. I just didn’t like it. Couldn’t get through it. Maybe it’s me. A lot of people liked this book. I don’t know… I just know I done with it 😂🤷🏼‍♀️.

Rating: 4 🌟
First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

I like who you are more than who are you pretend to be

I don't even know why it takes so long for me to finish reading this book but it absolutely worth it. Every single character, the plot, the story behind each of them were perfect to me.
ALISTAIR LOWE YOU HAVE A FAN OVER HERE.

5 stars for enjoyment
4.79 stars overall

The most powerful resource in the world is a secret wellspring of high magick. Many "peasants" believe it to be extinct, but before that became a reality seven families got together to protect *cough, cough* control *cough, cough* it.

The way they do it is by assigning a family member each 20 years to compete against each other. The winner controls the HM for the following 20 years, until the next Blood Moon surfaces again.
Each person nominated to represent their family is called a "champion." Did I mention that the winner is also the only one to survive the competition, yes there is that.

This is a quite secret affair as the greedy families don't want the gen pop to get a whiff of this wellspring. Only, as this generation's Blood Moon approaches, someone runs their mouth in a tell-all book and the world now knows what they are up to. Whoops.

I absolutely loved the world building in All of Us Villains and I am so excited this will be a series. I haven't been excited about a series like this since the saga written by she-who-can't-be-named. The characters were mostly morally gray and each so interesting in their own way, even though I had my clear favourite - I couldn't make up my mind about the others, at once I think I hate them, the next they go and do something to get me to like them.

I am also impressed with the consistency of the story - I often forgot there were two authors as everything flows perfectly and I didn't notice any change in voice or style. I can't wait to see where Foody and Herman will take this story.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of All of Us Villains.

3 Stars

I just want to say that this is a high 3 stars, I found the elements to be super intriguing and the use of curses really gripped me. I really enjoyed the characters and the underdog story with Gavin, however I just had a few issues that I think I'd of preferred maybe? I don't know I can't put my finger on it...

I'd gone in with super high expectations and was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so I don't think this helps either but I think I maybe expected it to be slightly darker than what it was? I mean the "dark moments" were great and I was like oooooft, but I think I wanted more of those moments!

Still definitely going to carry on with the series though!

This felt kind of like a magical Hunger Games where kids have to compete against each other magically and find safe havens to protect themselves. I hated that the kids were used as pawns by their families to secure power. I would and have recommended this book to others. I thinks it can be enjoyed by adults and young adults alike.

I love a good villain story, and this book did not disappoint. All of Us Villains is like The Hunger Games with magic, but where people don't just want to survive; they want to win, whatever the cost. Out of the seven champions, we get to read from the pint of view of four of them, all of whom have their own reasons for competing, and I loved getting to see the different perspectives instead of just following one character. It also meant I had no idea who to root for, torn between loving and hating each character as often as alliances were formed and broken. It constantly kept me on the edge of my seat having no idea where the next chapter was going to lead, and I flew through the book in just over a day, unable to put it down for long. This is one of my new favourite books, and I'm both excited and terrified to see where the story goes when book 2 comes out.

All of Us Villains was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I absolutely love Amanda Foody’s Shadow Game series and I was so intrigued by the premise of this. Set in the city of Ilverneath, the story follows the champions of seven families that must fight to the death in order to win control of the city’s high magick. The Lowe family are infamous and are the favourite to win every year, but when a book is published revealing the secrets of the tournament, the city is overrun with reporters and tourists desperate to know who will win. When things start to change in the tournament the champions might have the chance to destroy the curse that has plagued their families for generations.

All of Us Villains was exactly what I was looking for. It was dark and addictive – once I started reading I absolutely could not put it down. It had a few twists and turns did not see coming and it was gorier than expected. It was an exciting read, one I thought was well executed. I did feel the pacing was a little off, with it being quite slow to start with and much faster towards the end.

The world in this story is fascinating and I loved learning about the magic in this world – curserings, spell shops, and a centuries-old curse – I wanted to know more and more. Where I think this book really excels are the compelling characters. Whilst there are seven champions, we get POV chapters from four of them – Alastair, Isobel, Gavin, Briony. All of the POV characters were really intriguing with complicated histories and motivations for entering the tournament. I loved that the characters were so villainous and determined to succeed. Alastair and Isobel were probably my favourite – though I did really like Gavin too.

All of Us Villains is a book I haven’t stopped thinking about since I finished it. If you’re looking for a new YA fantasy book to get hooked on, this is a must-read.

This book was very much Hunger Games with magic. The pacing and the characters were done well in my opinion. The magic system is pretty straightforward and intriguing. This is a modern day book with magic which was a nice surprise.

Going into this, I hadn’t realized it was the first in a series, I thought it was a standalone. I liked the vibe of the ending and what it’s supposed to set up, but it still felt incomplete to me. It felt like it was cut awkwardly right in the middle, just to make it into a series.. I’m not sure how many books are supposed to be in the series or what it’s going to take to wrap it up, but my only hope is it’s not dragged out. We’ll see how it’ll hold together as a complete series once it’s finished.

Some points off for being slightly predictable at the ending, but honestly this is the first YA book in a while that I’m excited to follow and keep up with.
Can’t wait for the next one :)

You should definitely read this book, full disclosure it is not a stand alone and I was not aware of that when I read it. It ends leaving you wanting much more.

A battle for magic and these 7 families will do everything they can to get it, including sending their children to battle for it to the death. Some of them have trained for this their whole life, some don't want to be there, and some want to tear it all down. Who will be victorious and what price will they pay?

I LOVE this book so much, the magic systems, the schools the contests. The drama. So damn good. I read this as part of a book club and couldn’t put it down

BOOK REPORT for All of Us Villains but Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

Cover Story: *Menacing Laughter*
BFF Charms: Caution x4
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: I'm the Bad Guy(?)
Bonus Factor: Magic
Factor: Series Starter
Anti-Bonus Factor: Deadly Tournament
Relationship Status: Can't Look Away

Content Warning: All of Us Villains contains grisly death scenes.

Cover Story: *Menacing Laughter*
This cover ties nicely with the story within, but I can't help but hear echoes of evil laughter while looking at it. If the figure had a mustache, they'd be twirling it.

The Deal:
Ilvernath wasn't a well-known city until a tell-all book revealed the city's secret: every generation, a tournament is held in which children from each of seven families are asked to fight to the death to gain control over high magick, something the rest of the world thought long gone.

This generation isn't quite like the ones who've gone before them, however; some of the participants want to change more than just the family who has control—they want to change the entire tournament forever.

BFF Charms: Caution x4
I liked all of the main characters quite a bit, especially because of their morally grey qualities. (What can I say? I love a grey villain.) They all have redeeming qualities in addition to their more dubious ones, from loyalty to strength of will to confidence to kindness. But they're all also out for their own (or their family's) gain, so I wouldn't really be able to trust any of them—especially if I, too, was a tournament participant.

Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Although there is some swoon in this book, and not just between one couple, it's a bit tainted by the idea that they're all going to have to kill each other in the end. (Especially when one of the characters gives off major Loki vibes.)

Talky Talk: I'm the Bad Guy(?)
As I'll delve further into below, All of Us Villains is not the kind of happy, winner-take-all tournament. Instead, it's much more like The Hunger Games, in which there's one winner, and they're not all that much better for it when they come out triumphant at the end. (Their family, on the other hand …) It's a book that starts without a clear path toward positive resolution, but Foody and Herman have crafted a story that has you rooting for all of the main characters, regardless of the fact that they'd likely kill you if it came down to it. It's an enticingly gothic story that had me wanting to visit Ilvernath and also super grateful that it's not a place that actually exists.

I also have to applaud the authors for their deft hand at collaboration. The book is divided into four main POVs, and although they're all different characters with their own personalities and motivations, never did it seem like they belonged in different stories. I couldn't tell you who wrote what; the story is seamless as far as the writing goes, which I'm sure wasn't an easy task!

Bonus Factor: Magic
Magic in the world of All of Us Villains is a common thing, but high magic—the kind that's fought over in the tournament in the book—is controlled by the winner's family. I love the idea that there are different levels of magic, and even though folks can wield spells and curses on the regular, the really good stuff belongs to those in power. I mean, I don't love it, but I love that it's used in the book as an allegory for money.

Factor: Series Starter
I'm really excited to see where the next book takes us, but I do have to warn those who are considering reading this one that it doesn't exactly end on a nicely wrapped-up note.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Deadly Tournament
There's something compelling about the idea of a tournament in which children fight to the death for the good of people other than themselves—but only in the fictional sense. I absolutely cannot condone the idea of such a thing in real life.

Relationship Status: Can't Look Away
You're like an accident on the other side of the highway, Book. I know I shouldn't be gawking at the scene, but I can't help myself. Personal fault? Perhaps. But I know I'm not the only one with this kind of problematic issue. And you're just so darn entrancing!

ALL OF US VILLIANS is perfect for Hunger Games fans and villain lovers. It’s dark, and bloody, and magical. The world-building and the magic system were both unique, well executed and thought-through. The forbidden romance and family rivalries were perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers and reluctant-allies tropes. This book had everything I could want in a YA Fantasy. I couldn't put it down.

I made it a decent way into this.one before I DNF'd. I can certainly see how this would be a super appealing book for many readers, but I really just wasn't into this particular battle-royale scenario. The characters were mostly interesting, and the prose wasn't bad, but I just wasn't invested enough.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, I hate that this will be a series because it means the pacing just dragged through the whole book. There’s no need to spread this story, or this magic tournament, over more than one book. It’s not meaty or complex enough for that.

As others have mentioned, this is basically the Hunger Games with magic, but I think this has been done better (Kat Howard’s An Unkindness of Magicians comes to mind). There’s potential here, but the world-building and character development feel too shallow and stereotypical to do this idea justice.

I was immediately drown to this book by the description of a magical Hunger Games, and I fell in love with the worldbuilding surrounding the cursed tournament and the families who feel honoured to subject themselves to it. The magic system felt fresh and original, but simultaneously very simple and easy to understand. However, I would have liked a teeny bit more detail on how magic felt for the characters to make it just a tad more personal.

I adored the modern fantasy setting that felt reminiscent of the UK, but you know, with spells. The absolute highlight for me however was the characters. Though not all of them were every bit as vicious as the title promises, their grey morality won me over. I especially liked Alistair and Gavin’s arcs of changing morality in opposite directions. Plus the relationship dynamics were top tier, though I’d like to see more m/m and f/f romance in the sequel.

I’ll hold my hands up and say that for some reason, I was truly convinced that this book was a standalone while I was reading it, so it felt very anticlimactic when the book drew to an end and the tournament showed no signs of stopping. This made the pacing feel a bit wonky, but in all fairness that’s entirely my fault for getting the wrong idea. Overall I thought this book was a compelling read with a range of nuanced POVs, and I’m already looking forward to the sequel.

The beginning was a bit dull, the ending was unsatisfying and the writing lacked throughout. That said, I'll probably still read the sequel and I could definitely understand why someone else may love this, it just wasn't what I was hoping for.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is a fantastic novel full of twists and turns and reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but with magic.

Set in a world where two kinds of magick exist--high and low magick--the novel focuses on a group of seven families who possess the last cache of high magic in the world. Every generation, the families offer up a champion: the person who will enter into a tournament to the death in order to compete to be the last one standing and the family who controls the high magick. This year, as the tournament approaches, a tell-all book is published anonymously by one of the family members. This book reveals not only that there is a final and hidden cache of high magick remaining in the world, but who, exactly, the seven families who compete for it are. What follows is a public and extremely fraught battle for control, with the eyes of the world watching.

I absolutely loved this book. I could not bear to put it down for even a moment. The world, characters, and events in the novel felt original and vivid. The high stakes drama of the story, with all of its players and alternating perspectives, kept me hooked until the very end. Although this novel has shades of The Hunger Games, the text is actually structured very differently. Both authors have put a great deal into constructing a world that is fantastic and somehow believable. From the end of the novel, I can tell there will be a sequel, and I truly cannot wait to read it.

The text focuses on the perspectives of multiple characters in the tournament. Each are as interesting and engaging as they are dark and sinister. The text froths with intrigue, with each character haunted by the expectations of their families and the world, as well as their own motivations. Through their eyes, we get to see what matters to them the most, and what they are willing to do to win. Additionally, their relationships with each other are compelling and serve to wonderfully complicate the violent implications of a tournament to the death.

I love this book and its characters, and I can't say enough how exciting and compelling it was as a novel. I can't wait for book 2!

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

This one is great. It's one of books that everyone have to watch out. It's addictive, pulsing, awesome. Everything in this books is amazing. The tension, the characters, the action. It's a marvelous one.

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman is a Young Adult Fantasy with magical elements and death. This is book one in the All of Us Villains Series. The story is The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter's Triwizard Tournament. A player must kill everyone else to win, and all the players are teenager of magicians, the playing field is full of enchanted items and enchanted locations. What makes this novel is the four angsty teenagers who deal with society, death, media, and hormones. Their are seven champions but only four are followed, I almost feel like we could have followed all but that makes some characters wild cards. The relationships are strong, when alliance's are broken you know the reason why, even if you're a little sad it did not work out. I enjoyed the pace of the novel even though it takes a really long time for the champions to start doing what they were put into the tournament to do, which is try to kill each other. As much as I did like this book I was disappointed with the ending, because this story did not have any real ending it just stops with you the reader knowing there's another book. There were a couple of twist towards the end but no closure in the story or characters. I think there is enough to hang out with the villains again, but that ending was a big step in a great book.

The Plot Summary: Every 20 years 7 reigning families of magicians have a tournament to the death to decide who holds the horde of the most powerful magic. But this tournament is different one of the lowest families has written an anonymous book all about the tournament that has drawn media attention, which has complicated things for the small village. Every winner has committed suicide one to two years after the tournament not being able to live with what they did while competing. We follow Allister who's family has won for the last 100 years, has all the pressure to be as vicious as everyone expects him to be. Isobel The first champion announced and receives the most of the media attention. Briony former best friend to Isobel has been training her whole life to be champion. Gavin the poorest and lowliest champion, will give anything to win even his life, his family is suspected of writing the anonymous book, telling all the families secret to give his family some kind of advantage. All champions could be villains, but it is there choice. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for teens. All of Us Villains was published on Nov. 21 2021

What I Liked: the character's are all really great, I loved when they were being wicked, and loved them even more when they resisted. The moral dilemma of having someone you are crushing on, or is you former best friend that you then have to kill is pretty brutal, to paraphrase A Streetcar Named Desire, It's tearing them apart. I think it took the Hunger Games/Battle Royale formula and made it more intimate, with having all the families know each other and having the low number of 7. Each attempted death feels personal, and we feel each time it happens or is attempted. A really good start had me intrigued early.

What I Disliked: Saw the major twist at the end coming a mile away, it can kind of change the tournament but only one person knows before it ends. The ending killed a lot of momentum there was only the smallest bit of any closure for one out of the 4 characters. I took a little too long for the first death attempt.

Recommendation: This book is good and worth your time I wish the ending landed, but I did read the advanced reader's copy so maybe it got fixed. There is still a lot of potential in this series and these amazing characters. I will recommend you read this devilishly fun YA novel. I rated All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman 4 out of 5 stars.